The Jitters (1989) Reviews

• Chinatown magic.

  lost-in-limbo2009-12-12

  A vastly forgotten, but flavoured late 80's tight budget b-grade horror comedy, that opens with animation filled credits to go onto construct itself around a very interesting concept (with a running gag) involving the Chinese folklore of the Kyonshee --- vampire. A Chinese shop owner, Frank Lee is murdered one night after fighting against a group of thugs that were terrorising his niece at his shop. A Chinese custom is that if someone unjustly dies, they won't entirely be dead but would take form of a Kyonshee. Out for revenge. However to stop this happening is a Buddhist monk and co, who know the traditions by putting a strip of paper on the forehead. Lee's niece Alice takes over the shop with the help of her boyfriend Michael, but things get worse when the gang turns up again and that of her dead hopping vampire uncle. A very hit and miss romp, but always endurably campy fun if you can handle its deliberately over-the-top humour, zany nature and clumsy handling due largely to its cheap limitations. It's pretty hard to keep a straight face, even when it does try to be serious… which gladly isn't entirely the case, as the snappy script (not always particularly a witty one) keeps it tongue-in-cheek.. Not perfect, but the dialogues could've been worse. Nonetheless it never outstays its welcome, because it's pretty short and sweet with it running at only 80 minutes. Despite its makeshift look and silly writing, the gimmick behind it is refreshingly creative and you can't knock its enthusiasm. From the fruity acting (James Hong, Andrea Roth and Jonathan Goldstein) to the conventional direction (by John Fasano, who was also behind ''Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare'''and "Black Roses") and a dodgy, but playful music score. While not the best, it remains bearable. On the other hand the make-up effects were decently executed and show some nice icky moments. There's plenty of genuine location work, which gives it a grimy urban atmosphere, but there's an odd moment within the middle of the movie where for about a minute (well it feels like it), it takes time out for some sight seeing of the sights and the people. Pretty pointless, but harmless. The horror and suspense it might try to drill out is overwhelmed by its loopy and asinine comical attitude and it's constant use of slow motion. Amateurish, but amusingly kooky.

• Not Bad Film

  marloweisdead2004-05-26

  Well, I bought this little film on second-hand VHS at some second-hand store some time back, and I must say that I quite enjoyed it -- it even features a character quoting a line from GhostBusters; "I'm terrified beyond rational thought" or something (I forget the exact phrase). I thought the comedy moments were mostly done well, the music was enjoyable also, and the creature effects towards the end were impressive considering that this film must have had a pretty low budget. A cut above the average zero-budget flick, worth picking up if you happen to find yourself in a second-hand store and come across it for a reasonable price. All in all, absolutely watchable and enjoyable.

• Jumping Chinese vampires = pure fun!

  HumanoidOfFlesh2002-11-10

  John Fasano,the man behind "Rock'n'Roll Nightmare" and "Black Roses" directed also this silly trash.This film is bad,but I found it to be genuinely enjoyable.The acting is horrible-James Hong's("The Vineyard") performance is actually the best!Of course jumping Chinese vampires are laughable-"The Jitters" is the kind of a movie that certainly will leave you amused.Pure fun,if you like trash cinema!

• look elsewhere for better "Chinese vampire"/"hopping zombie" movies

  FieCrier2005-03-12

  Pretty bad movie, although it wasn't so bad that I hated it. I've seen a few "Chinese vampire"/"hopping zombie" movies (both terms are used to translate the word kyonshi/gyonshi/jiangshi - spelling variations due to variant transliterations). Some are straight horror or horror/action. Many are horror/comedy. This one falls into the latter, although the comedy is pretty lame. As an American (or Canadian)-made Chinese vampire movie, you'd expect it to introduce these creatures to an unfamiliar audience. It does, to some extent, but you wish it had been a better movie. Possibly the directors and producers thought this could be a big hit after Gremlins (1984) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986) (incidentally James Hong is in both the latter and The Jitters). I don't know how much distribution film prints might have gotten, but the video is fairly scarce now. The opening titles are done over drawings of Chinatown, with the credits drawn in. An animated Chinese vampire hops through some of the streets in the drawings. That was neat. A woman in Chinatown helps her uncle with his shop. She has a white fiancé. The Uncle has some trouble with a mostly white gang. He fights them off, but they return and kill him. They don't leave with much money, and are sent back by their leader to find the stash he supposedly had. Enter the zombie! The Uncle is now a Chinese vampire, hopping into the store wearing some traditional Chinese clothing, and he now has fangs, a strange growl, and pointy ears. A Buddhist monk shows up and pastes a prayer or some strip of paper with Chinese writing on it onto its forehead, which stops it. The woman and her boyfriend learn about a place in Chinatown where Buddhists collect these Chinese vampires, apparently to help them eventually be able to pass away properly. The gang continues to make trouble. One of the gang members who dies from a vampire bite comes back later as a vampire himself, and he turns into an even more dangerous monster when exposed to mirrors. I'm reminded of Gremlins again. Better to stick with Chinese vampire movies that come from China and Hong Kong.

• A gloriously wacky marvel

  Woodyanders2014-04-29

  A rich Chinatown merchant gets murdered by a pernicious street gang. However, the merchant returns to life as a lethal and vengeful vampire. Director John Fasano, working from an off the wall inventive script by Sonoko Kondo and Jeff McKay, cranks the deliciously loopy kitschiness to the delightfully goofy ninth degree: The campy villains, the crazy fight scenes, the clumsy use of strenuous slow motion, some gnarly'n'gloppy gore, the amiable lighthearted tone, the equally engaging sense of blithely silly humor, the priceless ending credits theme song, and, best of all, those hysterical hopping vampires all merge together to make this dippy doozy an infectiously nutty riot from start to finish. Moreover, it's acted with considerable zest by an enthusiastic cast: Sal Viviano and Marilyn Tokuda make for appealing leads, Doug Silberstein hams it up with enjoyably unrestrained lip-licking brio as nefarious main bad guy Leach, and familiar veteran character actor James Hong has an absolute field day as sage magician Tony Yang Sr. Paul Mitchnick's sharp cinematography vividly captures the glittery neon shine of the urban locations. The energetic syncopated score by Tom Borton and Daniel Linck hits the spirited spot. Moreover, it's impossible to dislike a flick in which Hong gets to bust a few martial arts moves on the bad guys. Good flaky fun.